The present invention relates generally to drink containers, and more particularly to a no-spill cover assembly for automatically sealing beverages within a drink container.
Cups are well known drink containers. Spills frequently occur through the open mouths of cups when the cups are jarred, tipped, dropped, or otherwise subjected to sudden movements.
One proposed solution for eliminating accidental spills associated with cups employs a plastic lid that snaps onto the rim of a cup. These lids are commonly found in fast food restaurants and coffee outlets. These lids typically have one or more holes for allowing a user to withdraw the beverage from the cup. By reducing the size of the opening through which the beverage exits the cup, the likelihood of spills is subsequently reduced.
However, these lids fail to eliminate accidental spills because the beverage may still escape through the opening despite its reduced size. For instance, jarring the cup can cause the beverage to splash out of the cup through its opening even though the cup may be in an upright position. Moreover, the beverage can pour out of the cup through the opening if the cup is tipped onto its side. If the cup is dropped, the lid can become dislodged from the cup and the entire contents of the cup can be lost.
Another proposed solution involves a lid that is secured to a cup by a threaded engagement. One variation of this solution further requires a lid having a hole formed therein for allowing a straw to be inserted into the cup for withdrawing the beverage. This variation also includes a cap that can be manually placed on the end of the straw in order to seal the beverage within the cup.
Another variation involves a pop-up vent formed within the lid. The pop-up vent seals the cup when the vent is manually pushed down and permits the beverage to exit the cup when the vent is pulled up.
In both these variations, the threaded engagement secures the lid to the cup to prevent the lid from becoming dislodged from the cup if it is dropped. Both variations also effectively prevent a beverage from splashing out of the cup if the cup is jarred while it is in an upright position. However, unless the user manually places the cap onto the straw or pushes down the pop-up vent, the beverage can spill out of the cup if it is tipped onto its side or if the cup is too full.
Yet another proposed solution for a no-spill cup is an automatically sealing cup as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,620. The ""620 patent provides a cup having a multiple-piece valve assembly that is intended to engage a lid assembly. Unfortunately, while the cup disclosed therein provides improved sealability, the valve assembly includes several parts that can complicate its design and manufacture. As a result, manufacturing cycle time and costs associated therewith are increased.
Moreover, the intricate design makes it relatively difficult to access all surface areas of the valve assembly and the lid assembly for the purpose of cleaning them. The valve assembly typically must be removed from the lid assembly and then taken apart and broken down into its several components every time the user wishes to clean the valve assembly after use. Also, since the individual components are small, they can be misplaced or lost. The time and effort required to dismantle the valve assembly, as well as to handle its small components, make cleaning of the valve assembly a somewhat cumbersome task.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a no-spill cover assembly that automatically seals beverages within the drink container and has a simple structure for permitting easy cleaning and for decreasing manufacturing cycle time and associated manufacturing costs.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a no-spill cover assembly for automatically sealing a beverage within a drink container.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a no-spill cover assembly that is constructed in such a manner that it can be easily cleaned.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a no-spill cover assembly having a minimal number of components so as to reduce manufacturing cycle time and costs associated therewith.
In accordance with the above and other objects of the present invention, a no-spill cover assembly is provided. The cover assembly includes a lid assembly that is releasably mated to a drink container for the purpose of covering an opening of the drink container. The lid assembly has an outlet channel and an inlet channel integrally formed therein.
Furthermore, the lid assembly is adapted to receive a one-piece valve assembly. The one-piece valve assembly has an outlet valve portion and an inlet valve portion integrally formed therein. The outlet valve portion includes a resilient outlet flange that is positioned within the outlet channel for selectively permitting a first flow therethrough and out of the drink container. The inlet valve portion includes a resilient inlet flange that is positioned within the inlet channel for selectively permitting a second flow therethrough and into the drink container.
One advantage of the present invention is that the cover assembly automatically seals the drink container and prevents accidental spills.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the one-piece valve assembly is readily detachable from the lid assembly to permit easy and thorough cleaning of the entire cover assembly.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the cover assembly has relatively few components thereby reducing the likelihood of misplacing or losing the components.
Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent when viewed in light of the detailed description of the preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings and appended claims.